A Friends Warning
by CaptainChaos
Summary: Paul Drake has some friendly words of advice for his oldest friend when 'The One' comes back to town.


A Friends Warning

Thanks for the reviews. I did mean to write a one shot fic, however, it has been pointed out that 'An Explanation Required' left a lot of unanswered questions both leading up to that little meeting and the aftermath. Please let me know if it would help in your enjoyment as readers, if I made these a series of short fics. All will be based on the parallel universe of what might have been had the fortune cookie prophecy Della had in TCOT Grinning Gorilla, come true. So, on that note, here's another piece of the jigsaw, hope you like it.

**Disclaimer : **Usual, don't own the characters, not making anything, just borrowing them for a little while.

_Three days earlier_

Della Mason dropped the morning mail onto the desk. Perry Mason looked up from his coffee and the early edition newspaper and regarded his wife with a boyish pout.

'I still hate routine Della. We haven't had an adventure for a little while,' he complained.

'I know, even after all these years, you still dislike having to go through the mail, but you have to dictate me some answers to these letters.' She lowered her voice to the teasing sultry tone that still made the hair on his neck stand on end. 'And if my boss hadn't insisted on making me play hookey Friday, we'd have had the old mail sewn up, ready for the new batch today.'

Perry Mason smiled at the thought of the previous Friday. Young Perry had stopped with Paul jnr at their house after football practice Thursday, and was not due home until Saturday morning. Perry had decided to use their recently rare time alone, to make up for neglecting his husbandly duties. It had worked out satisfactorily for both of them.

'Well, _Miss_ Street, I had to take advantage of the situation. The house was empty, and with the boy out overnight, I had to seduce my secretary and use the time wisely.' He smiled wolfishly and closed his hand over Della's as it rested on top of the mail.

'Tut tut _Mr_ Mason, taking advantage of your poor defenceless secretary.'

'My dear, you are as defenceless as my wife.'

'Mr Mason…….I _am _your wife,' Della removed his hand pushed the pile of correspondence in front of him. 'And you are not getting out of responding to this through flattery.'

The lawyers response was cut short by Paul Drake's code knock on the private door to the office. Della opened it.

'Come in Paul.' The tall private detective entered, winked at Della then almost folded himself in half dropping into the over stuffed clients chair. After many years working together and sustaining a close friendship, the now silver hair had turned almost white, but the twinkle in his eyes and the easy manner remained. He lit himself a cigarette as Della handed him a fresh cup of coffee.

'Don't keep him long,' she chided. 'He has mail to answer.'

Perry waved a dismissive hand towards her and the door. '_Thank you Miss Street!_ Please close the door on your way out!' She blew him a kiss as she exited the door and he couldn't help but smile.

Paul coughed as a gentle reminder, he was still in the room. 'Will you two just leave that at home.'

'What's that?'

'The office romance.'

'It goes deeper than that Paul.' Perry looked at the door leading to the confidential secretaries office outside his own and gave what Paul would have described as a 'love lorn' sigh.

'It always has,' Paul answered. 'Just took you long enough to both realize it.'

'I'm afraid my dear friend, you are in no position to talk. Took you long enough too.'

'Yes, but I had an excuse! You kept me constantly working all hours of the day and night. Anyway Romeo,' Paul threw the morning edition onto the desk, 'Would you so happen to have got through the paper as far as page 14?'

Perry picked up the paper folded open at page 14. Although his expression did not change, Paul saw his eyes narrow slightly.

'No,' Perry spoke quietly, 'I hadn't got that far.'

'She's back for the Senators Charity Ball tomorrow night. Her husband Glen is the guest speaker. He's raising backing for her. You know she's standing for Governor of Colorado early next year.'

'Yes I know. I did read about it, but I had no idea she was in town.' Perry stared at the picture of Laura Roberston smiling as she stood at the top step of the private jet she had arrived in LA.

'Now snap out of Perry.' Paul sat bolt upright and stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray that balance on the edge of Perry's desk nearest the clients chair. Paul had cut back on his cigarette smoking when Paul jnr had arrived, Perry smoked only occasionally and Della, never being a heavy smoker in the first place, had given up completely on finding out she was expecting Perry Jnr. What's more, she'd banned Perry Snr from smoking in the house or anywhere near their son. He'd decided there and then it was useless arguing with her where Perry was concerned, and cut back to the occasional drag in the office. He'd never admit it to her, but he did feel healthier in the long run.

'What?' The lawyer looked up from the paper at the detective.

'I said snap out of it. I know that look of yours. She's not worth losing Della over.'

'Paul, I have no intention of losing Della over or to anyone.' Perry sounded irritated. Paul Drake remained unmoved.

'Perry, you're my oldest and best friend. I know more about you and Laura Robertson than I'd like to. I've kept your confidence over the years and you mine, but now I'm warning you as a friend. _Stay away from her!'_

'She's an old friend.'

'No she's an old girlfriend. The one, you got down about for months when she left to go to that law firm in Denver. The One you got very drunk for a week over when you found out she was marrying the bosses son. The One you almost missed your sons birth because of and most certainly the one you missed your son's fifth birthday party for.' He gave a shudder. 'I remember that last one. You have nothing on cross examination technique compared to Della. That was the worst half hour of my life covering for you, and I got hell from Jo when we got home.

'Nothing happened Paul, on both those occasions. We talked, had a drink, caught up. That was it.'

'Then why doesn't Della know?'

'She's a beautiful, intelligent woman, but in this case, she just wouldn't understand.'

'I don't know of many women that would scream through the pain of childbirth and then have enough to understand that the father of that 8lb melon that was squeezed for hours through a hole the size of a lemon, was having 'dinner' with his ex fiancé.'

Perry could not help himself but chuckle at the description and started rubbing his right ear as he was accustomed to doing when thinking seriously.

'I'm serious Perry. I love you like a brother, but I just can't cover for you where this woman is concerned anymore. No matter how innocent the meeting may be.'

Paul stood up and went to the private exit. He stood holding the door handle and looked at the lawyer waiting for a response.

'I repeat,' said Perry, 'I have no intention of losing my wife. It took me too long to catch her.' He forced a smile. Paul nodded his understanding choosing not to push any further than he had done so already, trusting his friend to do the right thing and feeling he had played the loyalty card at the right time in the game.

As if on queue, Della came back into the office. Perry gave her one of more enigmatic smiles, 'You ready to crack on with this mail now Miss Street?'

'


End file.
